Thief
by thunderful
Summary: This is Booth and Brennan getting together nice and early in Season 2 , before everything got screwed up relationship wise.  Fluff for valentines day


This is a Oneshot that can stand alone, but will also be a prequel for another B/B fluffy story i am writing.

This is Booth and Brennan getting together nice and early, before they screwed everything up relationship wise

Set S2 – Early- There was never a Cam/Booth or Brennan/Sully hook-up because Booth and Brennan were already together.

This is how they got together and how the bet started that led to them keeping their relationship a secret. (part of my next story)

**Thief**

Booth was having a great morning. His all-day meeting on workplace health and safety, that he had not been looking forward to, had been cancelled, and he had the day off. He had made himself a huge breakfast, which he had enjoyed immensely; appreciating the fact that he had actually had time to savour it. As he washed up his dishes he planned out a leisurely morning on the couch watching sports, before heading out to pick up Bones for lunch.

He was just finishing drying his plate when his ears caught the sound of a key turning in his door. He frowned. Not many people knew where the spare key was, and the only other person with a key was Bones.

There was no way it could be Bones, he decided as he looked at the clock, which read 10am, since by now she would have been at the Jeffersonian for hours. But that only left one of the few people that knew where he kept his spare key- his brother Jared, who was currently aboard a naval ship in the middle of the ocean, or Rebecca, who, as far as he knew, would had no reason to come.

Frowning, he set the plate quietly down on the counter and headed towards his front door. He hid in the entryway to his kitchen and watched quietly as his door opened.

He was shocked when his beautiful partner walked through the door, quietly turning and locking it behind her, before walking confidently down the hall towards his bedroom. He followed silently, confused. It was obvious from her demeanour that she had no idea that he was there, and that she hadn't expected anyone to be home, yet he had no idea what she was doing, especially at this time of day. He peeked through his bedroom doorway and watched her without a sound.

He was surprised to find that she wasn't in her normal work attire. She was dressed much more comfortably in a pair of sweatpants and a large t-shirt peeking out underneath his jacket. _ Wait a minute! HIS jacket? _ He had been looking for that jacket for weeks, and had finally thought that he must have lost it, or accidentally placed it somewhere where it couldn't be found. But now he realised exactly where his jacket had been. His eyes narrowed, wondering just how long ago she'd stolen it and why- she certainly didn't need his clothes, she had more than enough of her own. He had no idea why she would even want it, let alone go to the lengths of stealing it from him. He distinctly remembered complaining to her about losing his jacket only a few days ago, and she hadn't batted an eyelash at it, although she had offered to buy him another one for his upcoming birthday. Oh yes, his clothes-thieving partner was good. He wondered if she had stolen any other clothes of his.

His question was answered as he continued to watch her make her way confidently into his room, and open up both his wardrobe and the two bottom drawers of his dresser. He realised she knew exactly what she was headed for- she had bypassed his top drawer- filled with ties- and had gone for his sock drawer and boxers drawer.

She hummed as she reached into the large bag she was carrying and he watched with increasing incredulity as she pulled out a stack of his shirts- both dress and t-shirts and began hanging them up in his wardrobe. She then pulled out some of his boxers, and socks and placed them in their respective drawers. He realised that she had had some of his favourite shirts and socks- including what she knew to be his absolute favourite pair of socks- which had small handcuffs and guns on them.

He was just starting to wonder whether she simply didn't have faith in his laundering abilities, and had taken it upon herself to wash and iron them properly, when his theory was shot out of the water by her starting to rifle through his closet again. She selected a few of his other shirts; bypassing the ones she had just replaced, as well as some more boxers and socks. Then she peeled off his jacket to reveal that she was wearing another of his shirts underneath.

The shirt she was wearing was an old shirt of his that had 'Booth' in large letters across the back, and he felt a lump of feelings rise up in him at the thought of her being his. He had loved her since their first meeting-despite her combative personality. Secretly, he treasured their small arguments, and loved seeing her eyes flash as she disagreed with him. The vision of her in his clothes, with his name branded across her back, was undeniably hot.

She hung up his jacket in the closet as well, and he breathed a silent sigh of relief to have his jacket back. Then his slight smile turned into a frown as she pulled his favourite sweatshirt out and folded it before placing it on top of the large pile already in her bag.

She zipped up the bag, and Booth moved back slightly from the door, expecting her to turn around and leave, now that she had performed her clothing exchange. He ran through the best way to confront her, but this was so far off anything he'd ever expected her to do, and he had no idea how to broach this with her.

Surprisingly, she didn't leave the room, she just kicked her shoes off and walked over to his bed. She pulled back the rumpled covers and slid in, grabbing his pillow and snuggling it to her. He watched, entranced as she sighed and relaxed, closing her eyes. It appeared as though she was intending to take a nap.

Booth thought this was amusing- his stern, temperamental partner snuggled up in his bed using his pillow like a teddy bear. It was also undeniably endearing. "Comfy Bones?" he asked, humour evident in his tone.

She shot up, her eyes wide as she took in the view of him before her, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and an amused smile on his face. "So you're my clothing thief. You know if you'd asked, I'd have loaned them to you- you didn't need to steal them," he chuckled. He doubted he would ever catch her in such a compromising position ever again. "And I distinctly remember telling you that I thought I had lost my jacket only a few days ago- and you never said a word about knowing where it was," he accused.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not a thief- I only borrow things- I always bring them back."

He grinned, "Borrowed without permission Bones, that's the same as stealing, even if you do bring them back- and you never admitted to having my jacket the other day." He was still a little miffed about that.

She deliberately sidestepped his accusations about his jacket. Instead choosing to go on the offence, "What are you doing here anyway Booth? You're supposed to be in an all day meeting."

Of course, her accusing tone was compromised by the fact that she was sitting up in his bed clutching his pillow to her chest. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "So that's why I've never seen you steal my stuff before is it? You always make sure I'm not going to be home before you come and steal my clothes, don't you Bones? How long has this been going on for anyway?" He still couldn't fathom why she would go to such great lengths to steal his clothes.

She stared at him defiantly, refusing to admit anything. He stared back, waiting patiently for an answer, knowing she was trapped.

After a few minutes, she sighed and her shoulders slumped. She looked down at the bed covers. "Since you were blown up by my fridge; after that night I started having nightmares where you didn't survive." She raised her eyes to look at him, and Booth could see the pain and vulnerability in them. "When I got you some clothes while you were in the hospital I ended up leaving one of your shirts in my bag. I found that the scent on it let me relax. I slept in it that night, and got the first good night's sleep I'd gotten in a while. So a few days later, while you were still in the hospital, I unpicked your lock and snuck into your apartment for the first time. When the shirts lose their scent, I wash them and bring them back to swap them for more."

Booth didn't know what to say about her revelation, but he wasn't quite ready for her to stop confessing yet. "Why do you think my scent helps you Bones?"

"I think that your scent reminds me subconsciously that you're still alive and that comforts me," she explained. Then she looked down, "To me you are synonymous with safety, comfort and love," she admitted quietly, her head still cast downwards as she nervously picked at his sheets.

His heart swelled with her admission and he walked over to her, sitting beside her on the bed. "Look at me Bones," he said, and when she refused he placed a finger under her chin and lifted it until her eyes met his. It pained him to see the insecurity in her usually strong eyes. She looked like a lost little girl. "I love you Bones," he said softly.

He watched as a slight glimmer of hope brightened her eyes. "And I will never leave you. In fact, you can have all my clothes if it helps you sleep, although I hope someday in the future, you'd consider sleeping with the real thing instead."

He felt relief wash over him as she gave him a soft smile. "I love you too Booth." She leant over and hugged him. He chuckled softly as she tried to subtly bury her nose in his collarbone and breathe in his warm and reassuring scent.

She pulled back, and he was happy to find that her eyes were once again sparkling. This time he could see the love in them, and was sure it was reflected in his own eyes. His heart almost ached with love for her, finally able to release it instead of holding back for fear of scaring her away. "You know," she said mischievously, "I might just take you up on your offer to let me have all of your clothes of it means you'll have to walk around naked. From what I can tell, you seem to have an exceptional physique."

Booth laughed as she eyed him appreciatively. "Only if you're going to be naked too Bones, because you have a stunning body that I wouldn't mind looking at all day." She just grinned at him, but it was ruined by a yawn, and he suddenly realised that she looked tired. "Hey, how about we have that nap you were planning on taking together?" he offered. He wasn't particularly tired, but he knew there was nowhere he'd rather be than in bed with Bones in his arms.

"Okay," She nodded eagerly and moved over in the bed to make room for him. He slipped under the blankets with her and was surprised when she snuggled up to him. He hadn't expected the normally professional and proper Dr Brennan to be a snuggler. Nevertheless, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He wrapped his arms around her as she sighed and placed her head on his chest. "Night Booth," she mumbled.

"Sleep well Bones," he answered softly. In no time at all she was sleeping peacefully in his arms. Booth was wondering how he had gotten so lucky- the woman he loved had admitted her love for him and was now sleeping in his arms. Sending a prayer of thanks heavenward, he let his mind run over fantasies of what life in a relationship with his Bones would be like, happy in the knowledge that now he might be able to make some of them his reality.

It was late afternoon when he woke to find Bones lazily running a hand though his hair. He smiled up at her sleepy blue eyes. "Hey," he whispered.

She smiled back, "Hey, did you have a good nap?"

He nodded, "The best I've had in years," he answered truthfully.

She nodded and snuggled back into his chest. He realised that he never wanted to let her go, and that he needed to have a permanent relationship with her. "Hey Bones," She lifted her head up and gazed at him questioningly. "I know I'm not doing this in the right order, but since we've know each other for a while now anyway, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.

She sucked in a surprised breath at his words, and for a moment he worried that she would refuse. 'Yes,' she said softly. The elation he felt at her words was unsurpassable. And he leaned up to capture her lips in a soft kiss to seal the deal.

Her lips were better than he could ever have imagined- and he had imagined a lot. The kiss was sweet and loving, but there was an underlying passion to it that he had always associated with her.

Ending the kiss before he could go too far, he beamed at her. "You know that means I get to take you on dates now, and you have to let me drive AND pay for the meals," he said smugly.

She frowned at him. "Those dating rituals are outdated. In today's society meal charges and driving privileges can be shared equally among both parties."

He rolled his eyes, "Bones, real gentlemen, who love their girlfriends, want to pay for them, and open doors for them, and make sure they're taken care of, so please, just indulge me." She remained frowning at him, until he threw in a charm smile, watching amusedly as she slowly relented.

"Don't use your charm smile on me," she pouted. He stayed silent and kept staring at her. "Fine," she relented.

He grinned and hugged her tight. "Thank you Bones. How about we catch a movie tonight? I'll pick you up at seven."

She smiled, "Okay." Booth was pleased that she actually sounded excited.

"Great, you know Bones, I want us to work, so we're going to do this the right way, because I'm certain that in another decade or two I will still be with you," he confessed.

Her answer made him the happiest man on earth. "Me too Booth, and although I haven't had much luck in previous relationships, I trust you not to leave me, and I don't ever want to leave you."

Booth was pretty sure life couldn't get any better. He secretly vowed that he would do everything in his power to make sure they were together for the next 40, 50 or 60 years. Leaning down, he kissed her again, revelling in the fact that he was now allowed to do that- that he now possessed that right as her boyfriend.

He reluctantly ended the kiss when they ran out of air. "So," he mused, "Which one of the squints do you think will notice first?"

**Happy Valentines Day - i hope you enjoyed it.**


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